12 Gifts You Gave to Wildlife This Year

This past year, thoughtful, generous, and passionate National Wildlife Federation supporters like you helped give countless wildlife the freedom to be wild and thrive. Thank you!

Please enjoy reading about 12 of our favorite gifts that you helped give to wildlife in 2016.

100,000 MORE SAFE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE

Photo by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant David Gunter.

This year, friends like you helped the National Wildlife Federation secure nearly 100,000 more safe acres for wildlife, returning important habitats back to grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife.

How?

Through Adopt-a-Wildlife Acre, a program that buys grazing rights to high-conflict lands from willing ranchers, helping them relocate their livestock away from crucial habitat areas. The purchase of grazing rights in the 87,000-acre Cape Horn allotment in the Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho is giving wild salmon and bighorn sheep populations the opportunity to thrive once more.

A TREASURED NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SAVED

Roseate tern. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

When some members of Congress proposed to sell off thousands of acres of Vieques National Wildlife Refuge in Puerto Rico — an irreplaceable natural treasure providing pristine habitat and shelter for 14 endangered species, including the graceful roseate tern — advocates like you sent them a resounding message: Don’t do it! We’re happy to report that the message was received. The refuge was taken off the auction block, marking another win for wildlife and the wild public lands that belong to all of us.

WILD BISON RETURN HOME TO THE WIND RIVER RESERVATION AFTER 131 YEARS

Photo by Steven Fine.

Did you know you had the power to move wild bison?

In November, more than 200 people witnessed the restoration of 10 wild bison to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming — the first time bison have roamed these tribal homelands since 1885. Your generous support helped make this happen, powering our work with tribes to transfer wild bison to tribal lands like Wind River. The homecoming is the culmination of decades of work in partnership with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe to restore the area’s wildlife populations and ecosystems.

FOREVER PROTECTION FOR OCEAN HABITAT

Almost 28,000 National Wildlife Federation supporters called on President Obama to designate the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts — a series of incredibly deep underwater canyons and tall sea mountains off the coast of New England that are threatened by oil drilling, commercial fishing, cable-laying, and deep sea mining — as the first Marine National Monument in the Atlantic Ocean. He took action. Now this 5,000 square-mile marine ecosystem will be protected forever for endangered whales and nearly 1,000 other marine species.

INCREDIBLE MOMENTUM FOR L.A. WILDLIFE CROSSING

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The story of the struggling Santa Monica mountain lions — especially the lonely Hollywood Lion — has captured the attention of people in Los Angeles and around the world. So far, support from friends of wildlife like you has inspired a $1 million challenge grant to help raise funds for one of the world’s largest wildlife crossing at Liberty Canyon outside L.A. And more than 50,000 of you pledged support for the ambitious bridge, which will reconnect severely fragmented habitats to help save the dwindling Santa Monica mountain lion population and other wildlife.

235 MAYORS MAKE PLEDGE TO PROTECT MONARCHS

Photo by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Nicole Hamilton.

With your gifts, you gave mayors and their communities a way to help fragile monarchs. Last month, the mayor of Nashville, Tenn., became the 235th mayor to take the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, a commitment to create habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators, and to educate citizens about how they can help. We’re also celebrating recent signings from the mayors of Denver; Oakland, California; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Springfield, Illinois; and Wichita, Kansas.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS “YES” TO MOOSE AND “NO” TO DANGEROUS POLLUTION

Photo by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Christine Haines.

Tens of thousands of friends of wildlife recently asked federal authorities to require reductions in dangerous methane waste from oil and gas operations on public lands, to help protect wildlife, including moose and pronghorn. The agency listened and acted! New rules released last month covering federal and tribal lands will reduce emissions of methane waste, a climate super-pollutant.

VICTORY FOR ORCA

Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries West.

Endangered orca in the Pacific Northwest escaped a major threat this year. A massive opposition force of wildlife defenders convinced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny the dangerous Gateway Pacific coal export terminal proposed for the Puget Sound coast in Washington. That makes five proposed industrial port projects that you helped to stop!

GARDENERS HELPING BUTTERFLIES, BEES, AND BIRDS

If they could, backyard songbirds would be singing your praises right now. That’s because your support has helped us certify nearly 9,000 wildlife habitats this year and reach over 206,000 total Certified Wildlife Habitats! There are now 1.5 million acres of urban and suburban backyards, schools, country landscapes, places of worship, and business properties committed to providing safe havens for wildlife.

A BIG STEP FORWARD TO SAVE RARE SEA TURTLES

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

Thanks to support from friends of wildlife like you, we’re still on the ground in all five Gulf states speaking out for wildlife more than six years after the BP oil spill disaster. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which is determining how BP’s criminal fines can be used to restore the Gulf, just announced $16 million to improve coastal habitats for sea turtles and other wildlife. This big win will help endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and other species struggling from the devastating spill.

10,000TH SCHOOL TAKES ACTION TO PROTECT POLLINATORS

This year, the 10,000th school joined with the National Wildlife Federation to foster the next generation of wildlife conservationists and restore habitat for beleaguered pollinators — from bees to bats to monarchs — in their schools and parks. Your support did that!

HABITAT FOR MULE DEER AND OTHER WILDLIFE SAVED FROM COAL MINE

It took decades of advocacy, but your voices prevailed. Arch Coal gave up on its proposed Otter Creek Mine in Montana, which would have blasted through pristine habitats, dragged dirty coal by rail for hundreds of miles, and fouled thousands of acres of habitat for mule deer, pronghorn, and nesting birds.

The generosity of friends like you is the driving force for saving wildlife. Please consider a year-end donation to the National Wildlife Federation to protect wildlife and their habitats at risk. This year, thanks to our Board of Directors and President’s Leadership Council $1 Million Year-End Matching Gift Challenge, every gift you make by DECEMBER 31st will be matched, dollar for dollar.